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War & Terrorism, Middle East

Destroying Syria's chemical weapons outside the country would be the best option, given its ongoing conflict, the head of the international watchdog overseeing the operation said Tuesday, dpa reported.

A Syrian proposal "that the destruction of chemical weapons be carried out outside of the country constitutes the most viable option," Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, told a meeting of the body's executive council.

A gunfight broke out between Afghan and foreign soldiers on the outskirts of the capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least one Afghan serviceman and injuring a number of other soldiers, according to Afghan and NATO officials, Reuters reported.

So-called "insider attacks" are severely straining ties between the NATO-led alliance and the Kabul authorities and further undermine waning support for the war in the West.

They have become one of the Taliban insurgents' most effective weapons against the coalition.

Tension escalated in Istanbul after police staged an intervention against a group of 50 people gathered in the Beyoglu district late on Oct. 22. The group had come together in support of the demonstrations in Ankara against the controversial Middle East Technical University (ODTU) road project.

Police used water cannon trucks (TOMA) to disperse a group that had gathered in front of Galatasaray High School on İstiklal Avenue, near Taksim Square. One person was taken to hospital after being injured due to pressurized water.

The UN Children's Fund has said Israel's army and police force continue to mistreat Palestinian youths during arrests and detentions, despite agreeing to test alternative treatment following international pressure Al Jazeera reported.

Teh fund's progress report, released on Monday, stated that "violations are ongoing", seven months after an initial paper was released which highlighted widrespread mistreatment of Palestinian youths arrested in the occupied West Bank.

In a rare move, the top Marine on Monday forced two generals into retirement after concluding they should be held to account for failing to secure a base in Afghanistan against a Taliban attack that killed two Marines, the Associated Press reported.

Gen. James Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said in announcing his decision that Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus and Maj. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant "did not take adequate force protection measures" at Camp Bastion, a sprawling British-run airfield in southwestern Afghanistan that was the Taliban target.

Religious Affairs Directorate President Mehmet Gormez has stated that he wants to announce to the whole world that Muslims strongly condemn the latest terrorist attacks targeting non-Muslims in Pakistan and Kenya Today`s Zaman reported.